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Have You Seen My Website?

Some things are easier to explain than others. This song, which I wrote not long before I started MusicWords, is a sort of free-form rhapsody (with synthesizer accompaniment) on Orwellian alienation. It was inspired by Laurie Anderson. If certain of the lines don't quite make sense (which hair care products?), you can safely assume the disconnect was intentional.

On the other hand, some of the references may not be entirely obvious. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, for instance, once wrote a poem in which he said he was "perpetually awaiting a rebirth of wonder." An apartment building I lived in in San Mateo really did have rug-lined shopping carts for your carrying convenience (though the installation of the red light remains, for now, safely in the future). Stephane Mallarme was an obscure French surrealist poet. The Eye in the Sky was a novel by Philip K. Dick. "Dance beneath a diamond sky with one hand waving free" is a quote from Bob Dylan's classic "Mr. Tambourine Man." And if you listen real close, you'll hear a passing quote from a tune by Dizzy Gillespie.

These lyrics are provided purely to enhance your enjoyment (if any) of the music. You may not reproduce them in any form without the permission of the author. (That would be me.)

                    have you seen my website?

why not stay home?
the five remaining books on the Approved list
all have subtext hot links now
the food is surprisingly good
and the additives promote tranquility, docility, fertility

why not stay home?
there's so much to see from the balcony!
the immigrants have smuggled the guns we sold to their ancestors
back across the border in their cheeks

why not stay home?
instructions on the correct usage of the surgical implements
are being simplified to prevent further mishaps
whose seriousness has, in any case, been greatly exaggerated

why not stay home?
rug-lined shopping carts are available in the lobby
for your carrying convenience
whenever the red light goes on

     have you seen my website?
     can I fax you my resume?
     I prefer to be paid in Euros
     in spite of the satellite delay
     
     have you seen my website?
     I change the encryption twice a day
     you can download Andy Warhol
     you can watch your children play
     
     have you seen my website?
     
any day now, the eye in the sky will be fully operational
you'll be able to visit Los Angeles with a click or two of the mouse
the real Los Angeles
but with a little less traffic
not quite so many graffiti
and all the women will have slightly larger breasts

any day now, Ferlinghetti will be celebrating a rebirth of wonder
Stevie Wonder

any day now, the sunken airports will rise from the sea
planes that have circled aimlessly for years
like big sad metal bees wondering where all the flowers have gone
will land
your long-lost relatives will disembark
brush the cobwebs from their faces
and greet you with cries of joy!
(listen to them now)

     have you seen my website?
     don't miss the interactive resume
     my fans all wear green eyeshades
     they memorize the works of Mallarme
     
     have you seen my website?
     it's at the bottom of your TV tray
     I'm feeling quite a lot better
     you ought to try the bacteriocidal spray
     
     have you seen my website?
     
in order to submit your request
you must fill in all of the required data fields

in order to submit your request
you must purchase hair care products

in order to submit your request
you must dance beneath a diamond sky with one hand waving free

in order to submit your request
you must open the green envelope
remove the test swatch
place it in a bowl of water for approximately thirty seconds
and listen closely for any changes in the ionization level

     have you seen my website?
     we deliver marmot brains flambe
     as soon as you place an order
     I'll take you for a ride in my Chevrolet
     
     have you seen my website?
     don't miss the animated 3D resume
     my fans all wear green eyeshades
     they analyze the death of JonBenet
     
     have you seen my website?
     I'm told that it has a unique cachet
     you can choose a replacement genome
     have another glass of chardonnay
     
     have you seen my website?